


The Son Of Andraste

by celestialmoonfire



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AU, Baby Inquisitor, Canon Divergence, Drabbles, Game Dialogue, Gen, kink meme fill, loose retelling of main plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-22 02:39:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3711721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialmoonfire/pseuds/celestialmoonfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sky is torn open, the Conclave destroyed, and when the dust settles, Tariel Lavellan steps out of the Fade. There's only one problem with this picture... is that a child? Inspired by a K!Meme Prompt, Inky is just a child. These will be mostly short drabble-esque fills, most likely not in any order at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Haven

**Author's Note:**

> The people of Haven don't take kindly to elves blowing up their religious figurehead

"He is no mere child, do you not see what he has done to the sky?!" The farmer demanded. "The Divine would want to be avenged!" Behind him, the small mob raised their pitchforks and hoes, agreeing with some sort of rallying cry.

"No. Absolutely not," Varric snarled. "I refuse to believe a child is capable of what you say he is." The dwarf glared at the man leading the group, pulling the bolt back on his crossbow. "Now you settle down and worry about something more practical, like the demons falling from the sky."

For a moment, Varric was afraid they would charge, and as good as he was with Bianca, that many advancing parties would easily overwhelm him. He never thought he would be thanking the Maker for Cassandra's yelling.

"What is going on here?" she demanded, hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"Lady Seeker," the leader approached the enraged Cassandra. "We cannot harbor the Divine's murderer here. We must avenge her!" Varric was sure he actually saw fire in the Seeker's eyes.

"We do not cut down innocent children," she said much calmer than he'd ever thought to give her credit for. "We wait for him to awaken, and we find out what happened. This child is a witness, and I refuse to believe anything until I have evidence proving otherwise." She pushed past them, joining Varric in defending the door. "You'd best move along before I decide you are responsible."

Under her withering glare, the crowd quickly dispersed. Varric and Cassandra shared a collective sigh of relief.

"I'm proud of you, Seeker," Varric smirked, hooking Bianca to her clasp on his back. "I was half expecting you to want revenge too."

Cassandra let out the disgusted noise Varric was beginning to associate with her. "The Divine would not condone murder in her name, and of a child? The Maker would surely strike us down the day we murder an innocent child, elf or not."

She peered through the hatched window, just able to glimpse the people inside. Solas was still at work, trying to stabilize the strange magic consuming the child while the Apothecary, Adan, worked on keeping him alive.

Every so often she could hear whimpers escape from the sleeping form, small whispers, though she was too far away to make out any words. They'd been working on him for three days.

"Do you think he will awaken, Varric?"

"He walked out of the Fade, untouched, save for that nasty mark on his hand. I would like to be optimistic."

"Optimism? Coming from you?" Cassandra snorted. "That's rich."

"I aim to surprise, Seeker."


	2. Haven 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leliana gives a little background on the tiny Herald

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit clunky. I apologize beforehand.

Leliana couldn’t help but smile as Tariel skipped along beside her, gripping her hand without fear. His eyes lit up in wonder every time he saw something new, often stopping to point and ask for clarification. In the short time he’d been at Haven after attempting to seal the Breach, he’d wormed his way into everyone’s hearts, except perhaps Seggrit's. Though Leliana was sure that sour apple loved nothing other than himself and his profits. It was at no lack of attempt on the elf’s part, that was for sure.

Most of the people at Haven would put down whatever task was at hand to accommodate the young elf’s questions, explaining however they could. It was a drastic change from trying to murder him not a week ago. While he was eager to learn about whatever he saw, he wasn’t as interested in talking about himself, and the only thing he’d revealed to her was that he was changing clans.

“Keeper said we had too much magic,” was all he revealed. Anything else he only shared with Solas, when the apostate had time. He seemed to find comfort in talking to other elves. There was very little she could learn about him, as he’d spent his life in a Dalish Clan. As frustrating as it was to find so little, eavesdropping on him and Solas or talking with Minaeve revealed that he was being traded to another clan in need of a first.

How he’d winded up at the Conclave, Leliana didn’t know, nor did Tariel seem to remember. What happened to the escort was also a mystery, though she had a feeling whoever was with him died in the explosion, much like everyone else had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this requires a little bending, but that's okay, since it's an AU. In this AU, clan Lavellan already has two mages aside from the Keeper, so Tariel can't stay with them. The clan in the Exalted Plains lost both of its mages, so I figured, perhaps Valorin's body was found previous to the events of Inquisition, and with Taven off in the Graves, Keeper Hawen requested an apprentice.
> 
> I figured that since Clan Lavellan doesn’t outright abandon mages, according to dialogue my Lavellan had with Minaeve, I decided that a hunter was responsible for escorting him to the plains, and somehow the Conclave got in the way.


	3. Dorian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra is secretly a big softy and Dorian's glorious facial hair has a close call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking of writing a chapter detailing each companion he meets, and obviously my favorite one and first choice was Dorian.

"Ah, there you are. You must be..." Dorian paused, mid-sentence. The glowing hand he'd been expecting did not, in fact, belong to the warrior, like he'd previously thought. No, rather it belonged to... a child? The Tevinter was completely stunned, so much so that he almost missed the demons spawning from the rift until a ball of fire passed uncomfortably close to his flawless facial hair.

Sure enough, as soon as the newcomers wiped the floor with the demons, Dorian still completely dumbfounded, the Qunari hefted the child on his shoulders, allowing him to grip one of his horns while the left hand stretched out to close the rift.

"And who would you be?" The woman he'd first thought to have been the one with the mark stormed up to him, sword and shield still drawn. For once in his life, Dorian was completely at a loss. He could only stand there, gaping like a fish out of water, looking between the imminent threat to his life and the tiny elf perched on the massive Qunari's shoulders, giggling, of all things.

"Well?"

"You should probably answer the Seeker before she takes your head," the Dwarf suggested. Dorian nodded slowly, trying to regain his composure, now that he'd most certainly embarrassed himself enough for one day.

"Dorian of House Pavus, most recently of Minrathous. How do you do?."

"Where is Felix?" The woman was blunt, to the point.

"He should be along soon enough. He was to give you the note then meet us here after ditching his father. Is that child... does he have the mark?" Certainly, this small elf could not be 'Andraste's Chosen', right? Would a kind, loving deity be so cruel?

"Yes, Tariel is the Son of Andraste." The woman still had not put her weapons down. Her narrowed eyes would have sent shivers down his spine, had he been a lesser man. "What is your interest in him?"

"I have information that may be of use to you. I... was not expecting a child."

"I don't think any of us were," the dwarf chuckled. "Andraste's chosen, barely capable of pronouncing words with more than two syllables."

“We do not have time to banter like idiots. If you have information for us, then get on with it,” the Seeker growled. Dorian held up his hands.

“Alright, alright. Magister Alexius was once my mentor, so my assistance should be valuable-- as I’m sure you can imagine.”

“Then you are the one who sent the note?”

“I am,” he confirmed grimly. “Someone had to warn you, after all.”

“Warn us?” The Seeker narrowed her eyes, but lowered her weapon.

“Look, you must know there’s danger. That should be obvious even without the note.” He looked briefly at the elf, now standing on his own, next to the dwarf. “Let’s start with Alexius claiming the Allegiance of the rebel mages out from under you. As if by magic, yes? Which is exactly right. To reach Redcliffe before the Inquisition, Alexius distorted time itself.”

“You’re kidding, right?” The dwarf quirked an eyebrow. He figured it wouldn’t as as simple as ‘magical time control, go with it’, else his job would be too easy. Luckily, Dorian was prepared to persuade.

“The rift you closed here? You saw how it twisted time around itself, sped some things up and slowed others down. Soon, there will be more like it, and they’ll appear further and further away from Redcliffe. The magic Alexius is using is wildly unstable, and it’s unraveling the world.”

“You expect us to believe that?” The Seeker growled at him. “If you are wasting our time--”

A flash of frustration nearly made him reply with something unflattering, but he opted to keep his head for the moment. Instead, “I know what I’m talking about.” A slight pause, but he needed to admit it if he had any hope of convincing them. “I helped develop this magic. When I was still his apprentice, it was pure theory. Alexius could never get it to work. What I don’t understand is why he’s doing it? Ripping time to shreds to gain a few hundred lackeys?”

“He didn’t do it for him.” Felix seemed to melt from the shadows, startling them all more than any cared to let on. Remarkably stealthy, even for a sick man.

“Felix.” The Seeker greeted sharply.

“Took you long enough. Is he getting suspicious?”

“No, but I shouldn’t have played the illness card. I thought he’d be fussing over me all day.” Felix turned towards the Inquisition agents. “My father’s joined a cult. Tevinter supremacists. They call themselves ‘Venatori’. And I can tell you one thing:Whatever he’s done for them, he’s done it to get to him.” He nodded towards Tariel. The child was wrapping his small hands around the Seeker’s fingers. He wore the expression of a child who was guilty, but didn’t know why he felt that way.

“Did I do something wrong Cassy?” He peered up at ‘Cassy’ with large glimmering eyes. Her face softened for the briefest moment, for the first time wearing an expression that wasn’t ‘I’m going to hurt you’ or ‘make some sense before I change my mind about not hurting you’.

“No, Tariel, you’ve done nothing wrong.” Then the soft face and gentle voice were gone. “Explain yourself. You say Alexius is your father. Why are you working against him?” The transition was seamless, from adoring mother figure to angry Inquisition agent. Dorian had to giver her credit for that.

“For the same reason Dorian is here. I love my father, and I love my country. But this? Cults? Time magic? What he’s doing his madness.” Felix shook his head. “For his own sake, you have to stop him.”

“It would also be nice if he didn’t rip a hole in time,” Dorian added on. “There’s already a hole in the sky.”

“If any of this time magic nonsense is true,” the Seeker started, “then why would he rearrange it and indenture the mages for Tariel?” Felix shrugged.

“They’re obsessed with him, but I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because he survived the Temple of Sacred Ashes?” A thought occurred to him, then.

“Tariel can close the rifts. Maybe there’s a connection. They may see him as a threat.” Felix shared his worry.

“If the Venatori are behind those rifts, or the Breach in the sky, they’re even worse than I thought.”

The dwarf chuckle. “All this for Tariel? It’s a shame we didn’t bring Alexius anything.” Dorian smirked, deciding he would definitely enjoy the dwarf’s company.

“Send him a fruit basket. Everyone loves those.” His joke earned little love from the Seeker, but the dwarf found it funny enough, and even Tariel giggled. Dorian’s smirk melted into another expression. Watching Tariel act so innocent made him want to keep him safe from these ‘venatori’ more than before.

“”You know Tariel is his target, Seeker. Expecting the trap is the first step in turning it to your advantage. I can’t stay in Redcliffe. Alexius doesn’t know I’m here, and I’d like to keep it that way for now. But whenever you’re ready to deal with him, I want to be there.” He turned to leave through the side door to gather the things he’d brought with him. “I’ll be in touch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I’m aware I completely left Bull out of the conversation. I realized it a little too far in, and now I’m just going to assume he was… I dunno, hanging out by the door. Cleaning his weapon outside, or something.


	4. Haven 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clan Lavellan hasn't forgotten about Tariel yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after returning from Redcliffe. I’m introducing a new character. At first he was just an ‘angsty back story event’ character for my canon Lavellan, but I decided to make him a little more for Tariel.

"We have a problem, Cassandra." Leliana melted from the shadows to Cassandra's left, startling the Seeker enough that a small, quiet squeak escaped her lips. The urgent tone in her voice was enough to push past the urge to smack the rouge with something heavy.

"What is it Leliana?" Thoughts ran through her head as a chorus of gasps and loud noises echoed through the Chantry from just outside the large door. There was a shriek, and her sword and shield were drawn in an instant. "Are we under attack?" A loud bang punctuated the end of her question as the Chantry doors were forced open, and an elf stormed in.

"Not exactly." She shook her head, motioned for her to lower her weapons. "A warrior from Clan Lavellan is here for Tariel. Apparently they think we've taken him by force," Leliana informed as the elf looked around the Chantry, eventually seeing the pair of them.

His dark green eyes were lit with a fire as he rapidly closed the distance. His short black hair was a mess, stands flying in every direction. The marks on his face were white, covering half his face while branching across the other, offsetting his tanned skin. Cassandra noted he was remarkably short, for an elf, probably coming up short a few inches on their resident elf Sera. The massive claymore strapped to his back was comically oversized.

"Where is he? I demand you release him." His voice was loud and forceful, and he met Cassandra's glare without hesitation.

Cassandra was glad Leliana stepped in to answer. The intensity in his eyes was enough to make even her falter, but not the rouge.

"I assure you, Tariel Lavellan has come to no harm."

"I'll believe it when I see him myself, shem." He dropped his gaze to the sword still gripped loosely in Cassandra's hand. "If he has been mistreated, I won't hesitate to slaughter you."

"That won't be necessary," Leliana assured, motioning for Cassandra to just let her deal with him. "Who was watching him last? Bring them here and we can..." A door opened further back in the building.

It turned out, Tariel was in one of the Chantry side rooms. He looked tired, but excited, talking to Varric so quickly his thick accent made words hard to make out.

"I knew I heard you Ellie!" Tariel immediately let go of Varric's hand and ran towards towards the angry warrior.

"Tariel!" All his hostility melted away as he dropped to his knees and dragged the younger elf into a tight, relieved hug. Tariel giggled loudly, reaching up to grab onto his hair. "Have they hurt you?" The child shook his head, grinning.

"Everyone is nice here." He squirmed his way out of the warrior's grip, with what looked like a practiced motion. He was obviously very close to the elf. His hand was ridiculously small, compared to the older elf's hands, yet he allowed Tariel to pull him along, stumbling to his feet with more grace than Cassandra would have expected from someone with a heavy metal sword on his back.

"You have to meet everyone!" The elf shot a glare in their direction, as if to say 'this isn't over', but played along with Tariel as he dragged him towards the chuckling Dwarf. Cassandra gripped her sword tighter, clenching her jaw. Leliana reached for her arm, stopping any move she might have made.

"Look, Cassandra. Do you see the resemblance?" Cassandra frowned, again loose ending her grip on her sword. Leliana was correct. Like this 'Ellie', Tariel had unruly black hair and green eyes, though his were brighter. Behind the round face of a child, Tariel had the same angular features, sharp cheekbones and small, pointed nose.

"He doesn't look old enough to be his father. Either a close cousin or an older brother."

That would explain why he was so compliant with the child. It would also make it harder to convince the warrior that Tariel needed to stay. Cassandra wasn't sure if she would be the best one to talk to him, considering she's drawn her weapon on him.

Leliana was thinking along the same vein, it seemed.

"Perhaps Varric or Solas can convince ‘Ellie’ to let us have him. Even if we must let him go after closing the Breach.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> His name isn’t really Ellie. His name is Aelesar, and he’s quickly becoming very important in my canon-headcanon. Prepare for a dramatic time skip.


	5. Travel Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole picks up on some angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By dramatic, I mean post Haven. Inspiration hit and I'd been wanting to try my hand at a little Cole. I figured now would be a good time to introduce a little back story.

"You feel guilty about what you did." It took a moment before he realized the Spirit was talking to him. It was the first time the spirit had initiated conversation since leaving Crestwood a few hours ago, on the way to the Storm Coast.

"What are you on about, demon?" He sighed deeply, preparing himself for the headache that often accompanied dealings with the rouge. He could feel the three sets of eyes boring into him. Cole as he prodded though his memories, and then the curious stares from The Iron Bull and Dorian.

"It's the one thing you regret most. Warm, camping near the lake. The sun is stretching just past midday." Aelesar's eyes widened. He came to an abrupt halt, turning on his heel to glare harshly at the spirit.

"No! You do not go there, demon!" Unfortunately, once Cole started, it was near impossible to make him stop.

"Light filters through the trees, sparkling in water. It's beautiful. Everyone's in the water, splashing, playing. Except him."

"I'm warning you," he hissed. He would have reached a threatening hand for his sword, if Tariel hadn't been standing so close behind him.

"Something is wrong with him. His feet dangle over the edge of a man-made dock, too short to reach the surface. Mamae said never to play with him. He's nothing but trouble." The memories flashed in his brain, as fresh as if he were reliving the experience.

"You can't be a proper Dalish if you can't swim. Please don't, he begs. He sinks like a rock, thrashing against certain death. The cool water is cloudy. No, too far. I could kill him." He was trembling. His legs shook horribly, and his whole body seemed to grow cold. Tariel gripped his hand tightly.

"Then cold, so cold, so much pain, trapped in ice. Everything is dark. Then, he wakes, renewed hatred and fear bubbling to the surface."

"Stop it!" Tariel stamped his foot, glaring at the spirit. "Ellie doesn't like talking about the First!" Aelesar shushed him, patting his head carefully. He didn’t want to hear it, but he knew it wouldn’t go away. Cole would bring it up again later, like he often did.

"He forgives you. He shouldn't but he does. He fills his emptiness by pretending it's okay. Like it was his fault, not yours. You hide behind the same mask. It was your fault, but you pretend it wasn't, and it hurts you, too. Why don't you say you're sorry?" There was an honest look of concern in his eyes. Almost as if he cared about him, and what he'd done to Faelyn.

Aelesar swallowed, wide eyes flitting between faces. Curiosity from Bull and Dorian, sincerity behind Cole. He grasped onto anything, mentally flailing for the right words to say. Any words to say.

“It's not that easy. What happened that day..." He trailed off, shaking the numbness from his limbs, tightening his expression. "We’re going. Now.” He pried himself free of Tariel’s hand and moved forward, with much less grace than he usually commanded himself with.

"Did I say the wrong thing?" He heard Cole ask. "Should I try again?"

"I don't think he would appreciate it, Cole," Dorian replied. "I don't think he wants to forget whatever you brought up."

"But he'll only use it to hurt himself..." Aelesar was far enough ahead that their quiet voices were now hard to hear. Tariel managed to keep up with him, stumbling along beside him. At this rate, he was going to trip over something and hurt himself. He slowed just enough for him to keep a better pace.

"Tariel, I know you want to make me feel better, but I want to think alone."

"But Ellie..." He gave him his saddest set of puppy eyes, the large green orbs shimmering. He couldn't help but smile softly at the expression, but he didn't cave to his brother's wishes.

"Go ask Dorian for a story or something. I'll feel better by the time we stop at camp. Promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if I was successful?

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've never written a child before. I've also never written with any of these characters before, either. Until I get used to them, they'll probably be a little OOC.


End file.
